diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointReader.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointReader.java
index 7beb8df6e14..bc37f5b780f 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointReader.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointReader.java
@@ -37,7 +37,12 @@ public final class HeapPointReader implements PointReader {
     curRead = start-1;
     this.end = end;
     this.packedBytesLength = packedBytesLength;
-    this.pointValue = new HeapPointValue(block, packedBytesLength);
+    if (start < end) {
+      this.pointValue = new HeapPointValue(block, packedBytesLength);
+    } else {
+      //no values
+      this.pointValue = new HeapPointValue(block, 0);
+    }
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointWriter.java b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointWriter.java
index 8915b0c27e3..83978510bbb 100644
--- a/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointWriter.java
+++ b/lucene/core/src/java/org/apache/lucene/util/bkd/HeapPointWriter.java
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ public final class HeapPointWriter implements PointWriter {
     this.size = size;
     this.packedBytesLength = packedBytesLength;
     this.scratch = new byte[packedBytesLength];
-    offlinePointValue = new HeapPointReader.HeapPointValue(block, packedBytesLength);
+    if (size > 0) {
+      offlinePointValue = new HeapPointReader.HeapPointValue(block, packedBytesLength);
+    } else {
+      //no values
+      offlinePointValue =  new HeapPointReader.HeapPointValue(block, 0);
+    }
   }
 
   /** Returns a reference, in <code>result</code>, to the byte[] slice holding this value */